The present invention relates to ornamental and aesthetic objects and, in particular, it concerns windows and user-controlled visual panels.
A myriad of ornamental windows have existed throughout the ages. Individuals have sought to improve lighting and light effects by using colored glass, or creating glass mosaics. Numerous examples of lavish creations can be seen in many churches around the world.
Unfortunately, a latent deficiency of existing windows is fixed color and shading. Such a deficiency is exacerbated when lighting conditions are non-favorable and even harmful. By way of example only, drivers of vehicles have addressed this problem by either tinting or darkening the windows of the vehicle or wearing sunglasses and the like.
The obvious risk of dark windows is the inability of the driver to perceive the external environment and the driving conditions during the hours of darkness.
The risk is considered to be of sufficient magnitude that several jurisdictions have seen fit to legislate against excessive darkening or tinting of vehicle windows.
A further example concerns home dwellers who may wish to prevent individuals outside the house to be able to view inside the dwelling. Furthermore, since individuals cannot control the degree of ambient light entering their home and office, artificial lighting is used excessively and inefficiently.
There is therefore a need for a window which can control degrees of lighting, and the amount of ambient light entering through the window.
There is a further need for a vehicle window, which is responsive to external light conditions and for creating optimal tinting and shading of vehicle windows.
The present invention is of a user controlled ornamental panel, which is useful for a number of applications in which the degree or amount of light passing through the panel is to be controlled. One such application is to control the amount of light, ambient or otherwise, entering through a window. The ability to control the amount of ambient light entering through a vehicle window and/or window of a dwelling is particularly useful. The present invention enables the user to control the amount of ambient light passing through the ornamental panel, such that the lighting of the environment is determined by the user without permanently blocking or altering the ability of the ornamental panel to permit the entry of light. Such flexibility is important for adjusting the amount of light entering through the panel according to the ambient lighting of the external environment, which would differ during daylight hours as opposed to the night, for example.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ornamental window comprising: (a) a first panel; (b) a second panel situated at a distance from the first panel, thereby forming a readily fillable margin between the first panel and the second panel; and (c) a material for filling the readily fillable margin, the material determining an amount of light passing through the ornamental window according to an opacity of the material.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ornamental window for a vehicle, the vehicle featuring a vehicle window, the ornamental window comprising: (a) a first panel, readily attachable to the vehicle window, wherein the first panel is attached at a distance from the vehicle window; (b) a readily fillable margin formed between the first panel and the vehicle window; (c) a material for filling the readily fillable margin, the material determining an amount of light passing through the ornamental window according to an opacity of the material, the material including at least one color forming material; and (d) a color module for controlling a color of the material in the margin formed between the first panel and the vehicle window, by adjusting an amount of the color forming material in the margin.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ornamental system comprising a matrix of a plurality of ornamental windows, wherein each window comprises: (a) a first panel; (b) a second panel situated at a distance from the first panel, thereby forming a readily fillable margin between the first panel and the second panel; and (c) a material for filling the readily fillable margin, the material determining an amount of light passing through the ornamental window according to an opacity of the material.
According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ornamental system comprising a matrix of ornamental windows, wherein each window includes: (a) a first panel; (b) a second panel situated at a distance from the first panel, thereby forming a readily fillable margin between the first panel and the second panel; (c) a color module including a plurality of cartridges, for controlling color of the content in the margin formed between the first panel and the second panel; (d) a control module for controlling the color module; (e) a power source for powering the control module and the color module; (f) a processing and control unit electronically attached to the control module, including a remote control receiver for receiving remote commands; (g) a remote control transmitter including: (i) an activator switch; (ii) a deactivator switch; and (iii) a rainbow control for controlling color of content in the margin formed between the first panel and the second panel; (h) a light sensor electronically connected to the control module, wherein the control module is responsive to light measurements of the light sensor; and (i) a plurality of valves, responsive to commands from the control module, for controlling content of each of the windows.